REVIEW: A FAMILY STAY & AFTERNOON TEA AT SHERATON GRAND LONDON PARK LANE

Friday 9th October 2026

There is something rather lovely about arriving in London with children and knowing that, for once, very little organisation is required. On Park Lane, with Green Park directly opposite and Mayfair unfolding beyond it, the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane is exceptionally well placed for a day of wandering, museums, shops and the inevitable requests for snacks along the way. Yet inside, the mood is considerably more calm.

Our arrival was refreshingly straightforward. At check-in, the girls were presented with Sheraton Grand colouring books, which they immediately settled down with, while upstairs in the suite we found milk and cookies waiting for them. Neither was an elaborate gesture, but both felt personal — the sort of small consideration children remember.

Our Family Suite was particularly well suited to travelling as a family. The bedroom held a king-size bed and cot, while the adjoining sitting room had been prepared with a fold-up bed. There was plenty of room to sit together without having to tiptoe around a sleeping child, and a dining table for six gave the room an almost residential quality. A desk in the sitting room also meant that work could be done without commandeering the bedroom.

There was a quietness to the suite that we appreciated more as the day progressed. Outside was Park Lane; inside, the pace slowed considerably. The Art Deco details and views across the avenue gave the room a sense of its setting without making it feel overly formal. I particularly loved waking up early in the morning to observe a very quiet Park Lane before the traffic increased throughout the day.

Afternoon tea in The Palm Court followed on our first afternoon. Beneath its impressive 1927 stained-glass dome, the room has the slightly theatrical quality one hopes for from an old London hotel: marble, brass, music and the gentle ceremony of tea being poured. The children were given the London Kids’ Afternoon Tea, including the much-loved London Eye blueberry macaroon and biscuits to decorate in the shape of Big Ben and a London bus. They were happily occupied at the table, while we lingered over the adult afternoon tea.

For dinner, we walked to nearby Mayfair Chippy, although El Pirata is another long-standing favourite of ours, and there are plenty of restaurants within an easy stroll.

The following morning, breakfast at Mercante was one of the calmest part of our stay. Tucked into a booth in the corner, we could have been somewhere considerably farther from the centre of London. James had a full English; I chose Eggs Royale, while the girls made several trips to the buffet for cereal, toast, fruit, cheese, cold meats, juices and the warmer options. It was an unhurried beginning to what would be a busy day.

Mercante has the relaxed-but-sociable character of somewhere you could happily return to more than once during a London stay. Inspired by the Italian food market, it moves effortlessly from morning coffee and breakfast into lunch, aperitivo and dinner, with a menu that takes in pasta, pizza, salads and smaller plates alongside seasonal dishes. There is a refreshing informality to it: polished enough for a proper meal, but relaxed enough that children can join in. It feels less like a hotel restaurant and more like a neighbourhood dining room that happens to occupy a rather grand Park Lane address.

The concierge team were generous with suggestions for where to take the children, and the hotel’s position made much of London wonderfully accessible. Hamleys, Buckingham Palace, St James’s Park and the National Gallery are all within reach, while Green Park is particularly useful when little legs need a break. For a museum day, South Kensington’s Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A are easily reached by Tube or taxi.

What we liked most was that the hotel never made travelling with children feel like an exercise in logistics. There was room to retreat, plenty to do nearby, and just enough ceremony - from afternoon tea beneath the glass dome to colouring books at reception - to make a mid-week stay feel like a special occasion.